Nail-feeding apparatus.



. No. 844,463. PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

G. D. PARKER.

NAIL FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAE-8.1905.

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No. 844,463. PAYTENTED FEB. 19,1907.

G. 1). PARKER.

NAIL FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED M148. 1905.

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No. 844,468. PATENTED FEB. 19,1907.

- G.D.PARKBR.

NAIL FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR-8.1905.

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Q/Vifneoags atboiwu I GEORGE D. PARKER, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

NAIL-FEEDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed March 8, 1905. Serial No. 248,990.

. machines; and its general object is to provide for supplying to such machines such nails as may be needed, whatever the size, and at one or more points, as may be desired.

The nails are placed in bulk in a hopper, and arranging themselves in a file in suitable slots in the hopper-bottom, where they are suspended by their heads, they pass out of the hopper and down inclined races formed .by rounded rocking bars to chutes which guiglle them to points where they are to be use In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same parts. Fig. 3 is a front-to-rear vertical section. Fig. 4 is a plan view of a part of the hopper. Fig. 5 is a partial rear elevation, many parts of the apparatus being omitted. Fig. 6 is a detail view of certain collars hereinafter mentioned.

In the views, A represents a frame supporting other parts of the apparatus, and B is a hopper pivoted to the rear and higher portion of the frame by short studs B, working in bearings B which are yieldingly held down in recesses B in the frame A by springs B. It may be rocked in a vertical plane by any suitable means, such movement and means being common and forming no part of my invention. Below the middle of the hopper is a-transverse angle-iron B and to this are fixed the pointed rear ends of widelyseparated strips B, of considerable thickness, which overlap and rest upon the bottom B of the rear portion of the hopper and which serve to turn the nails into parallel relation with the strips. Immediately beneath the strips are other strips B which are parallel to those first mentioned and are separated only so far as to form a slot or race B for the bodies of the nails, which are thus suspended by their heads in the races in the usual way. The forward ends of alternate strips are connected to a longitudinally-adjustable memher or bar B on the outer face of the front member of the hopper, and the rear ends of the same strips are attached to a transversely-sliding bar B, which is adjustably held by clamps B connected to the anglebar B The remaining or alternating strips B are fixed to the corresponding strips B beneath which they lie, and obviously by adjusting the bars B B the width of the races may be varied at will.

The rear end of the hopper is bent downward at a small angle with the remainder, as shown, to the end that the mass of nails which moves to the rear of the hopper as the latter rocks downward may move forward less early when the hopper rises, and thus afford more time for nails which have fallen intothe slots to adjust themselves and move forward before the mass falls upon them- Near the front side of the hopper each slot is covered by a hood B which'protects a cer tain number of nails in the slot and prevents their being carried back by the superposed mass of nails when this mass moves rearward and also allows them to advance freely at other times' The lower side of the front member of the hopper is cut away to form a continuation of the channel under the hood, so that the nails may pass out of the hopper in advancing in the races. Each hood is out off obliquely at its rear end, so that the nails striking it may tend to assume such position that they readily enter the slots. ward and before they have left the races formed by the strips their downwardly-projecting bodies have entered the upper ends of downwardly-inclined races formed by parallel bars C and their supports. ends of these bars are revolubly supported in blocks C C the'blocks Obeing permanently fixed to the frame A by screws C and the alternate blocks 0 being attached to a laterally-adjustable inclined frame D by means of screws D or other suitable devices. The frame A is provided with an overhanging part A, beneath which engages a corresp 0nding portion of each block G which may thus be adjusted along the frame and may at will be rigidly fixed by a set-screw D The lower ends of the bars C are similarly supported by blocks C engaging in dovetail slots in the front member of the frame A, the

blocks corresponding to the blocks C above being locked in any desired adjustment by set-screws D The set-screws D -D being loosened, the frame D and the alternate blocks secured thereto may be moved bodily by means of the wing-bolts D, working in the As the nails move for- The upper IIO frame A, and thus the races formed by-the l resist the return of the arm to normal position, I provide a bar-II, sliding-in ways'upon bars are varied in width according :to :the l size of the nails to be used in any given case.

Beneath the central portion of the bars C is a transverse bar 13, sliding in ways on the frame ,D. Rigid arms E, projecting from the bars C, res ectively, have rounded ends engaging in soc rets in the bar E and thus reciprocation of the latter bar rocks all the bars C back and forth, thereby making the ad- Vance of the nails practically certain and uniform. The reciprocation of the bar E is caused by a cam F, itself rocked back and forth by means not shown and provided with a sinuous groove F, in which travels a roller F carried upon the end of the bar E.

The bars C are shown as cylindrical; but

clearly this is not indispensable. The blocks which support the ends of the bars C contrary to the usual practice are supported wholly from. below, the supporting-blocks forming continuations of the races, and there being nothing above the plane of the races to prevent loose nails falling upon the bars automatically pass off and fall out of the way without in any way calling for attention.-

As the nailsapproach the lower ends of these races they pass between guide-plates G, which insure their lying in the same vertical plane. At the lower ends of the races, respectively, are upwardly-open chutes G, having their rear walls cut away so that-the pendent nails may enter them freely. These chutes are removably held in the frame Aby turn-buttons A so that they may be-readily removed for freeing them from obstructions or for other purposes. Above the chutes is a transverse'roclsshaft H, which is rocked rearward by-theforward movement of the cam F, already mentioned, the cam striking anarm Hf, projecting from the shaft, and a spring H restoring the shaft to normal po sition as soon as the opposite movement of the cam permits. This shaft bears over each chute a loose collar H lying between two fast collars H H, one pf which bears a pgojection X, adapted to engage in a recess in the loose collar, and thus rotate the latter whenthe shaft rocks in one direction, but not when it'rocks in the contrary direction. The loose collar bears an arm H normally in position to prevent the escape of nails from the corresponding race; but this arm is swung forward when the shaft rocks in the proper direction and far enough to permit a nail to escape from the race and fall in the chute. A spring H" resists this movement and restores the arm to position as soon as the projection on the fixed collar permitsandalso allows the arm to swing forward-at any other time should-such movement be-desired for removing a faulty nail or for other reasons. To insure releasing one nail from the race without allowing the whole file of nails in the race to advance into position to the frame A' and thrown in one direction by the cam F, which is providedwith a suitable working face upon its side. pointed fingers I each in position topass between the first nail and the second in the corresponding race at the proper time, and thus positively move the first nail forward while holding'all the rest back until the first has dropped down'the chute'and the-arm H has returned under the action of the spring H It maybe observed that because nails are sometimes burred or otherwise-imperfectand for certain work 1 are often coated with ma.- terial intended to'cause them to-adheremore tenaciously to the wood in which they are driven they often fail tofeed with uniformity and certainty in simple gravity-races, thereby causing annoyance in the-operationof the machine and imperfections in the work.

What I claim is l. The combination with a rocking hopper having nail-races in the forward portion ofjits bottom, of hoods cut obliquely at their rear ends and covering the forward portions of said races, respectively.

2. The combination with a main frame provided with suitable ways and having sets of race-b ar bearing-blocks independently and detachably fixed thereto, of corresponding sets of similar blocks {alternating with those of the first sets and slidable in said waysa rigid frame fixed-to the main frameand independently holding the blocks of saidcorresponding sets, means foradjusting said rigid The bar .bears.

,a spring I and in'the contrary [direction by frame to simultaneously vary the distance of all its blocks'from their companions borne by the main frame, race-bars mounted in the blocks borne by the main frame, "and coacting race-bars mounted'in-the'blocksborneby the adjustable frame, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with para'llelpairs of suitably-spaced, inclined rocking bars forming nailraces,.of rigid arms projecting downward from the bars, respectively, afltrans- IlO verse bar mounted below the plane of nails carried in said races, and-engaging the lower ends of said arms, and means foroscillating said bar longitudinally.

A. The combination with a suitable supporting-frame, of parallel pairs of parallel race-bars mounted to rock about their longitudinal axes, rigid arms projecting downward from the'b'ars', respectively, a transverse sliding bar mounted. in the frame at some distance below the racebars, and connected to i i the lower ends of-all said arms, and a rocking cam mounted upon the frame and adapted'to oscillate the transverse 'bar longitudinally.

5. The combination with inclined bars forming nail-races, of a rock-shaft extending transversely across the lower, portions of the races 'eldin arms eXtendin into osition for obstructing the races, respectively, a cam automatically rocking the shaft, *means whereby the shaft in rocking in one direction swings all the arms from obstructing position, and springs independently restoring the several arms to normal position as the shaft I one direction swings the arms out of normal position, springs resisting such swinging, a reciprocatlng transverse bar bearing fin ers lmposltlon to separate the fOIGIIlOSt-Ilitfi in said races, respectively,

each racefrom its companions, and a cam arranged for simultaneously rocking said shaft and sliding said reciprocating bar.

7. The combination with a set of inclined rocking bars forming nail-races, of swinging arms normally obstructin the lower ends of gers arranged to slide between the foremost nail in each race and its companions, thereby holding back said companions, and a cam automatically actuating said bars, arms, and fingers at proper intervals,

In testimony whereof I affix my signature inpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE D. PARKER.

Witnesses:

E. B. HEWITT, H. B. HENDERSON. 

